Dan Campbell answered with a thumbs-up and a grin when asked Friday about Sam LaPorta. That was about all he wanted to say -- and maybe all he needed to say.
As everyone waits to see if the Pro Bowl rookie tight end will be active for the Lions' wild-card game Sunday night against the Rams, Campbell did say that LaPorta "will run around today" at practice, "so he's feeling better. So you got that one." (Insert thumbs-up.)
LaPorta, who suffered a hyperextended left knee and bone bruise in last week's regular-season finale, said Thursday that he's been able to "bounce back quickly" and that he's "optimistic" about playing on Sunday.
Campbell said Friday that the Lions will "know much, much more after today's practice and then entirely, what does it look like tomorrow when he wakes up?"
"I know this, he’s gotten better every day, every day. So we’re going to have him out there, take some practice reps and see where it goes," Campbell said.
It's a remarkable turnaround for LaPorta, who was given basically no chance of playing Sunday after getting carted off the field last week. Now, it's quite possible that he'll be out there, pending his game designation on Friday's injury report.
It would be a huge win for the Lions, even if LaPorta is compromised. He was the team's second leading receiver this season -- and Jared Goff's second favorite target after Amon-Ra St. Brown -- with 86 catches for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns, breaking the NFL record for receptions by a rookie tight end.